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Elder Gao's eyebrows shot up.
"Impossible."
He rolled his eyes and snatched the blade back from Qing Xuanling. "Brat—you're on the verge of becoming a sword cultivator, you're studying alchemy, and I hear the Young Master's got some other strange scheme cooking for prodigies like you. When will you find time to learn refining? Or do you think my craft is so easy to master?"
Qing Xuanling smiled awkwardly. "Oh, come on—I'm not that busy. True, I can't delve deeply into refining, but given time… reaching your level shouldn't be impossible right? We're cultivators—we have long lives. Might as well make use of them, right?"
"Yeah, yeah—whatever you say. Answer's still no." Elder Gao regarded her dismissively. "Don't think I don't know you're also a body cultivator. Girl—I'm serious—don't bite off more than you can chew."
His gaze turned grave. "I know you want to do many things while you're young, but calm yourself. Even if you learn a thousand arts, you'll still die at the hands of someone who mastered one with all their heart. And your talent isn't even strong enough to support the load you're already carrying. When do you think you'll reach mid-stage?"
Elder Gao's words struck precisely where it hurt most. Just as he said—she was already stretched too thin. Even if she set aside alchemy (thanks to Xuan Dan), she still had to practice multiple techniques daily.
For a moment, she had no reply.
Elder Gao shook his head and swiftly retrieved the hilt he'd prepared for the sword.
It was crafted from blackwood. The guard curved upward, carved with delicate leaf ornament. The grip was wrapped in soft-looking red leather, and the circular pommel bore an engraved symbol representing the Five Elements.
Elder Gao's eyes brimmed with affection as he inserted the blade's tang into the hilt, then began securing it. He used his hammer to fasten the hilt firmly—a process seemingly simple, yet requiring hours of precise calculation to preserve the blade's center of gravity.
Qing Xuanling reached for the sword when he finished, but he scowled and snatched it away, moving to a grinding wheel in the forge to sharpen the edge.
Half an hour passed under Qing Xuanling's anxious gaze—but Elder Gao ignored her impatience, meticulously polishing and sharpening both edges. Even the tip received its due attention.
When he finally stood, Qing Xuanling's new sword was officially born.
"Examine it."
Elder Gao's tone was flat as he handed her the sword—but his eyes held a flicker of anticipation.
Qing Xuanling, however, noticed nothing beyond the blade itself. She accepted it with trembling hands, gripped the hilt—and blinked in surprise. The hilt fit her palm perfectly.
She swallowed hard, gazing at the straight, uncurved blade. It appeared silvery-white—but upon closer inspection, a faint five-colored shimmer danced across its surface. Qing Xuanling felt certain the sword would glow with those five hues under sunlight.
She drew a sharp breath, raised the sword—and her eyes momentarily lost focus. Suddenly, she began executing the basic movements of the Wandering Sword Art.
Her motions were swift and lethal—yet flowed with unexpected elegance when paired with her sword.
Elder Gao watched with a smile—until seconds later, he jolted backward, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Sword Qi?!"
At some point, pure white Sword Qi had begun wreathing Qing Xuanling's sword, causing it to tremble with palpable joy. Her movements accelerated—as if the sword's exhilaration had ignited her own.
Where the sword passed, a white trail lingered—painting a majestic scene within the dimly lit forge as Qing Xuanling's speed intensified.
At one point, sweat streaming down her chin, dozens of white trail encircled her—granting her a mystical, ethereal beauty. Even Elder Gao found himself momentarily captivated.
It wasn't Qing Xuanling's ordinary appearance that created this charm—it was purely the aura radiating from her.
In that instant, Qing Xuanling's movements reached their peak velocity. She thrust the sword forward—and astonishingly, the blade "split into two"!
"Hah…!"
Her motions halted abruptly. She clutched her chest with her free hand, breathing heavily. Clarity returned to her eyes—quickly replaced by shock and elation.
"I've grasped the third move of the Wandering Sword Art… and I'm close to the fourth!" Qing Xuanling gazed at her sword with wonder and warmth.
She was now certain her bond with this sword ran truly deep. Merely holding it had triggered a minor epiphany! Even if this were an immortal-grade sword, such a connection would be impossible.
Qing Xuanling's minor epiphany stemmed from her soul-deep connection to this sword.
"Impressive." Elder Gao smiled. "I rarely witness such things. I suppose you truly were destined for this sword. Have you thought of a name yet?"
Now calmer, Qing Xuanling blinked. She hadn't considered a name—she'd assumed Elder Gao would provide one. She narrowed her eyes in thought.
Memories surfaced—moments spent with this sword. True, it was no longer the same sword Instructor Huan had gifted her—but the essence of that old sword lived within this one. All those memories were preserved in sword.
Especially the memories of her own weakness and powerlessness…
A soft laugh escaped her lips. Recalling the past, she couldn't help but see how pitiful she'd once been.
"…Mmm. I've decided on a name." Qing Xuanling smiled faintly, tracing the blade with her finger. "I'll name it Memory. This sword will hold the memories of that weak, pitiful past—so that when I stand at the peak, I can look upon it… and laugh."
"A unique name. Arrogant too. Already planning to reach the peak alongside Memory?" Elder Gao shook his head with a mocking smile. "Though it's good—I expected something elemental or tied to the number five. This is far more original."
Qing Xuanling laughed warmly. "Thank you—I think it's a fine name too!"
Elder Gao rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. "Presumptuous girl—who'll tolerate that attitude? Ah—and take this. The scabbard."
He tossed her a crimson scabbard engraved with the character "Qing."
Qing Xuanling caught it with a grin and sheathed Memory. It fit perfectly. Satisfied, she fastened the scabbard to her waist.
"What weapon patterns did you engrave into Memory?" Qing Xuanling suddenly remembered, regarding Elder Gao with curiosity. "You never told me."
"Jajaja—finally you ask!" Elder Gao's cheeks flushed with excitement. "I didn't mention it earlier because I wasn't sure I could pull it off—but in total, I engraved three weapon patterns into Memory!"
He raised three fingers, lowering one as he spoke. "I could've added more given Memory's grade—clearly supreme-grade. But considering you're a sword cultivator, I enhanced only three aspects."
"First—Memory amplifies all attacks by twenty percent, regardless of elemental attribute. That's the innate advantage of a Five Elements foundation—after all, the Five Elements give rise to all things."
Qing Xuanling's eyes sparkled. Twenty percent was no small matter—especially since it applied universally across all elements!
This was especially valuable for Qing Xuanling with her complete spiritual roots. Though she currently practiced a non-elemental sword art, she planned to learn techniques of multiple elements to leverage her roots. This first weapon pattern would prove immensely useful.
Elder Gao nodded satisfactorily at her reaction and lowered another finger. "The second pattern is simpler—but equally vital. It multiplies Memory's sharpness manyfold. With this weapon pattern, Memory should rank among the sharpest first-grade weapons in existence."
He paused and lowered the third finger. His face flushed with fervor. "And the third pattern—the best and most complex—is self-repair!"
Qing Xuanling's expression went blank for a moment. The first two weapon patterns already satisfied her deeply—especially the second. In her view, a sword's sharpness was paramount.
But the third…
She covered her mouth. "Y-you're not lying, right?!"
Elder Gao smirked arrogantly. "Jajaja—good thing you recognize how staggering this is! After all, it's the fruit of my research over the past few decades!"
Qing Xuanling nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking grain. "Of course I know! Who doesn't know how rare self-repairing weapons are?! I've heard only ancient magical artifacts can do that!"
To grasp Qing Xuanling's astonishment—one must know "magical artifacts" referred to weapons used by Golden Core cultivators. In short: third-level artifacts!
"Jajaja!" Elder Gao placed hand on his hip, savoring her awe. "Impressive, right? I'd thought my incomplete self-repair pattern would never see daylight—but your sword gave me hope again!"
Elder Gao boasted for several more minutes, basking in Qing Xuanling's praise.
"Ahem… Well, err… I suppose I got carried away." Elder Gao smiled sheepishly ten minutes later. "Anyway—I hope you cherish this sword. One could call it the masterpiece of my lifetime."
He gazed fondly at Memory. Qing Xuanling understood why. Elder Gao had already explained the uniqueness of Memory's third weapon pattern.
Apparently, he'd spent years researching a self-repair weapon pattern. Though he made significant progress, the pattern would always transform at the final stage into one that absorbed spiritual energy for the wielder.
Technically, it wasn't a failure—that effect was powerful in combat, even qualifying as a high-grade weapon pattern capable of turning the tide in life-or-death battles.
But Elder Gao remained unsatisfied. He continued researching why the self-repair pattern kept shifting into an energy-absorption pattern.
He eventually discovered the truth: An inanimate object cannot repair itself. Only the living possess that capacity.
This realization plunged Elder Gao into despair. After all, the only artifacts considered "alive" were those possessing sensitivity.
But using a conscious artifact wasn't viable either. The only way to add or remove patterns required reforging—but artifacts with clearly awakened consciousness were exceedingly rare… and reforging them would instantly destroy their consciousness.
Thus, Elder Gao had abandoned the self-repair pattern—until Qing Xuanling arrived with the remnants of a sword whose sentience hadn't yet awakened. It possessed far greater malleability than an artifact with defined consciousness.
Qing Xuanling smiled wryly upon learning this. "So that's why you were so kind to me that time!"
Elder Gao burst into laughter. "Jajaja—of course! Why else would I help a pesky flea like you?!"
She laughed. She knew Elder Gao was joking. Truly, all his kindness had been genuine. Completing the self-repair pattern was merely an unverified hypothesis—a bonus.
Even without that possibility, nothing would have changed. She could see it in his eyes.
She laughed, reflecting on everything—but as memories of Memory's forging process and weapon patterns surfaced, something shifted in Qing Xuanling's gaze.
"…It seems I cannot let this pass." Qing Xuanling looked at Elder Gao with solemn resolve. "Elder—once more, please… teach me the art of refining."
Joy vanished from Elder Gao's face. He regarded her with a grimace. "Girl—I already told you why you can't learn refining. You barely have time for what you're already doing. I won't teach someone who can't take it seriously."
Qing Xuanling nodded, not denying it. "I won't deny your words. Truly—I likely won't master refining deeply. Maybe I can only come once or twice a week. But still… I beg you to teach me. This isn't a whim—it concerns my Dao."
She spoke sincerely. Earlier, Qing Xuanling had mentioned wanting to learn refining on impulse—but now she meant it. The mysteries of refining and weapon patterns had captivated her.
Beyond that—a voice deep within insisted she must learn this. It was an intuition so intense yet so natural that Qing Xuanling couldn't help but trust it.
Without hesitation, she knelt on the floor and bowed deeply to Elder Gao.
Perhaps this, too, was destiny. After all—the first person to guide her in life, even if it was only in the most basic aspects of cultivation, had been Elder Gao.
"Y-you… brat… what are you doing…?!"
For several seconds, Elder Gao was utterly speechless.