Qi Ze's forging technique was no secret; even if he publicly shared it across the entire cosmos, no one could replicate it. Moreover, he had to make Ouyang Ye and Li Yu aware that he personally crafted these weapons. Should they entertain thoughts of killing him for his treasures, it would amount to draining a pond to catch all the fish, and they would only harm themselves.
Once his cultivation recovered in the future, he would no longer have to fear anyone. If he was in a good mood, he could maintain this cooperative relationship. After all, he needed a few people around to assist him with various matters.
With that thought, he glanced at Li Yu and began to explain slowly, "The principle is simple. In the final stages of forging these two swords, I incorporated Ouyang Ye's blood into them. Thus, they became a part of Ouyang Ye's body. In the hands of another, they would merely be mediocre beginner-level weapons. And if Ouyang Ye hadn't bound them with his blood, he wouldn't be able to unleash their full potential either."
"What do you mean by two long swords? I only saw one, and what's this about 'binding with blood'?" Li Yu was full of confusion. His eyes widened in shock as he continued, "Wait, you're saying that you forged this sword yourself?"
Yan Junyu, who had witnessed the entire process, wore an expression of epiphany. It finally dawned on him that during the last seven days, Qi Ze's request for a bag of Ouyang Ye's blood had this magical effect. He had already forged the sword but threw it back into the smelting furnace, melting it into a liquid with the blood, and then repeated the initial steps: constant hammering, continuous carving, followed by more hammering and more carving. The mystic characters glowing with golden light were chiseled out and flattened one by one.
Yan Junyu didn't understand why Qi Ze had to go through such trouble, as if he didn't have a clear idea of what he truly wanted to create. But now, he understood. It wasn't that Qi Ze didn't have a vision, but every action he took held a special meaning that outsiders couldn't comprehend.
This forging technique was truly divine, no wonder Qi Ze called his creations "Spirit Weapons." The "Spirit" in their name encompassed both "Soul" and "Spirituality." It was as if he wasn't forging tools but was instead creating life.
As Yan Junyu struggled to calm the storm of emotions in his heart, Li Yu was clearly still unable to think straight. He looked the youth up and down as if seeing him for the first time.
After the exhaustion subsided slightly, Ouyang Ye approached and overheard the conversation between them. He was taken aback for a moment, then slapped his forehead and said, "So, Young Master Qi, you asked me to give 800cc of blood to forge these two swords? I think I understand what 'binding with blood' means. Originally, they were just ordinary elemental weapons in my hands. When the blood seeped into them, I somehow felt a connection with them as if they were part of my body. Many techniques of using them naturally appeared in my mind without having to be taught."
He lifted the sword and somehow pressed a mechanism, causing it to split into two. Then he threw one of them far away. Finally, he opened his palm and curled his fingertips, and the sword in mid-air turned around and returned, tightly adhering to his fingers. They had become part of his body, coming when summoned and leaving when dismissed. No one else in the world could wield them with such power.
Li Yu was dumbfounded, pointing at the sword that shimmered with spiritual light, unable to utter a word for a long time. If it weren't for maintaining his image of being composed and capable, he would have pinched his thigh to check if he was dreaming.
Qi Ze, however, wore a faint expression. As he tidied up the tools that had cluttered the table, he explained, "Merging blood with the weapon is called 'Soul Sacrifice.' It allows the inanimate object to possess spirituality. I'm sure you've guessed by now that I come from a family of artificers, and this method is our exclusive secret. If we sell Spirit Weapons to the general public, we would infuse beast blood, which would slightly lower their spirituality but could adjust their power based on the spirit beast's level. For custom orders, the person providing the blood would be the one to undergo the 'Soul Sacrifice.' Afterward, the Spirit Weapon would only recognize the owner whose blood it held, and would serve that person for life."
He looked at Ouyang Ye and said word by word, "In our world, there's a saying that 'sword lives as long as the person lives, sword dies as the person dies.' You're not just a tool to them, but a comrade. I hope you take good care of them."
"Sword lives as long as the person lives, sword dies as the person dies?" Ouyang Ye merged the two swords back into one, holding it up to his face, staring at it. A wondrous feeling of recognition, emanating from the depths of his soul, flowed from his palm to the blade, causing it to emit a slight hum.
"This is my sword, part of my body, I remember." Suddenly, his eyes became bloodshot. With a slight tremble of his wrist, a scorching flame burst from the sword's tip, sweeping forward, followed by a crescent-shaped wind blade. The wind fueled the fire, and the moment they met, they rapidly expanded and exploded with a loud boom. The basement was penetrated by a charred and blackened hole, and the security system blared an alarm, "The load-bearing wall has been compromised, the structure is at risk of collapsing. Please evacuate immediately, please evacuate immediately."
Li Yu, covering his heart, gritted his teeth and said, "Ouyang Ye, are you fucking out of your mind with happiness?" He could understand, though. If this were to happen to him, he would probably have leaped to outer space already. These two swords, with such tremendous power, only responded to his call and command. They were the most loyal partners, never betraying him and never being exploited by those with malicious intentions to turn their blades against him.
How could they still be considered lifeless objects? They clearly had souls! Scouring through the history of the cosmos, Li Yu had never seen anything similar. Qi Ze's background and legacy were even more terrifying than he could have imagined. So what if he was a carbon-based life form? With his forging skills, he would never lack followers no matter where he went.
Now, he was willing to cooperate with the Li family, and they had actually been suspicious and investigated him relentlessly. This was truly courting death! Thinking about it, Li Yu cursed himself fiercely, then respectfully escorted Young Master Qi out, assuring that he would fix the basement within a day.
He sent his nephew, who was completely drained, back to his room to soak in nutrient solution, and secretly instructed him, "Xiaoye, take good care of Young Master Qi, and agree to any request he makes. The entire Li clan will be at his disposal. Also, when your relationship becomes deeper in the future, help me order a weapon. I'll pay any number of star coins."
Ouyang Ye chuckled, "Who said that if Young Master Qi was lying, they would skin him? And who suggested that I use someone else's blood to fool him and avoid having my genes stolen? If I had really listened to you, I would have lost out big time now!"
Li Yu quickly turned around and found that Young Master Qi was still sitting in the living room eating, and hadn't heard these words. He wiped a cold sweat from his brow and gritted his teeth, "Watch your words, boy. Don't offend Young Master Qi. Following him, you'll definitely climb higher than Ouyang Duanhua in your life. The Li clan's future depends on whether we can hitch a ride on Young Master Qi's cruiser. At first, I didn't recognize the true Buddha that is Young Master Qi. I was wrong, alright?"
Ouyang Ye immediately dropped his playful expression and said seriously, "Don't worry, Uncle. I will certainly maintain a good relationship with Young Master Qi. When our relationship deepens in the future, I'll ask him for you. He said that these Spirit Weapons aren't for just anyone and require a Spirit Root. I have dual Spirit Roots for wind and fire, so I can use Wind Forest and Fire Sea." He patted the black sword tightly hugged in his arms, treating it gently as if it were his lover.
"What's a Spirit Root? Wind Forest and Fire Sea? Are these the names you gave the two swords?" Li Yu suppressed the covetous look in his eyes.
"I don't know what a Spirit Root is, only Young Master Qi can test it. Let's not mention it for now, or he might not be pleased. Wind Forest and Fire Sea is my little darling, hehehe... Sword lives as long as the person lives, sword dies as the person dies!"
His nephew's lecherous expression was a painful sight, and Li Yu couldn't bear to look any longer. He filled the recovery chamber with nutrient solution, lifted him in, and sneered, "Look carefully at the sword hilt. There are four ancient characters engraved there. That's the name Young Master Qi has given to the sword, don't call it anything else. Also, Young Master Qi's forging technique is incredibly mystical. It never existed in the Black Eye Galaxy before, or else the Qi family would have surpassed the Mu family as the top forging family long ago. So, I speculate that he might be a visitor from another Galaxy, or even more likely, a descendant of the Chinese who left."
At this point, his tone became extremely cautious. "At the founding of the nation, some Chinese left because they opposed genetic modification technology. They were mostly old families with ancient traditions, holding powers beyond your imagination. The strongest psychics, the greatest ancient martial artists, and the most powerful technicians all came from these families. If they hadn't left, the Empire wouldn't have spent over a thousand years establishing itself in the Black Eye Galaxy. I'm sure that Young Master Qi's family is absolutely a top-notch family among them, because the arms trade is often the most profitable. Follow Young Master Qi closely. A crumb from his fingers is enough for you to eat for a lifetime."
Before closing the recovery chamber, he added, "If Young Master Qi wants to sell antiques again, contact me immediately. They are priceless treasures, understand?"
"I understand, I understand." Ouyang Ye, holding Wind Forest and Fire Sea, submerged in the pale blue nutrient solution, pretended to sleep for a while, then opened his eyes and smacked a few kisses on the sword hilt.
After leaving, Li Yu originally wanted to get closer to Young Master Qi. Seeing his tired expression, he promptly bid farewell tactfully. Yan Junyu, sitting opposite him at the dining table, frowned and said, "At least finish this piece of bread. For the last seven days, you worked on the sword day and night, meditating only two hours a day. How can your body withstand that? After eating, soak in the nutrient solution like Ouyang Ye did to replenish your energy."
The youth's eyes were vacant, lost in thought. After a month together, he seemed to have failed to develop any telepathic connection with this wisp of a soul. He put down the bread he had only taken two bites of and headed towards Ouyang Ye's room. The security system on the door lock couldn't stop him, and he went in unobstructed, bending down to tap on Ouyang Ye's recovery chamber.
Ding dong, ding dong. Ouyang Ye woke up from his daze, recognized the visitor, and hurriedly opened the chamber door to sit up, grinning fawningly, "Young Master Qi, is there something you need?"
"I forgot to tell you that these two swords are growing-type Spirit Weapons. They will gradually become stronger by absorbing spiritual energy. As the medium releasing the spiritual energy, you will also level up. When the sword blades dull, come find me, and I'll throw them back into the furnace to remake them. Each time, I'll still need you to provide your blood. During this process, your body will experience unbearable pain from the surge of spiritual energy. If you endure, you'll grow stronger; if you can't, you'll have to stop there. How high you'll reach in the end is entirely up to your own perseverance."
Ouyang Ye was dumbfounded, completely unable to digest this massive surprise.