Chapter 509: Chapter 498: Sword Cultivator Father
"Lin Shen, your heart is in disarray," Master Wu’an said emotionlessly as he entered the Level 4 Formation, addressing Lin Shen.
Lin Shen halted his movements, standing with his head bowed, his tone was as emotionless as his master’s: "I am wrong, Master."
"Train well here. Break this formation within three days or stop calling yourself my disciple. Even if you die here, no one will come to save you." Master Wu’an was utterly serious and ruthless, regardless of Lin Shen being just a ten-year-old child.
Lin Shen knew that his master was serious, that, even as his only true disciple, should he fail to meet the standards, his master would definitely not save him.
However, he was also very strict with himself. He had indeed been neglectful recently, and it was only right for his master to punish him. As for whether he could escape from the formation, Lin Shen had never considered this issue. Since he was young, he understood one principle well: to live with dignity, one had to be harsh on oneself.
After Master Wu’an left, Lin Shen’s expression turned even colder, and his previously restless and unsettled heart quickly calmed down, focusing solely on his training.
Meanwhile, Ye Sheng had also finished his training in the Small Secret Realm. Three months were enough for him to have circled through it once, and indeed, training outdoors provided him with a different feeling than cultivating in his cave residence. Ye Sheng’s formerly chubby, youthful face now looked much more mature.
Jin Quan came out to welcome his junior disciple, noticing the short span of time had toughened his spirit, he felt relieved yet also a bit heartache, but growth was just like that, wasn’t it? How could one temper their spirit without experiencing hardships?
Once, in the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, there was a Buddha’s son of exceptional talent who reached the Nascent Soul Peak in just two hundred years. But what of it? Because the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect valued this Buddha’s son too highly, they always confined him to cultivate within the sect. Despite his rapid cultivation progress and the absence of a Heart Demon, what of it?
By the time he had reached the Nascent Soul Stage, the master who accompanied him ascended, allowing him, the Buddha’s son, to finally travel unrestricted. However, he was deceived by a mere Foundation Establishment stage fox spirit, losing all his cultivation overnight.
Ever since then, major sects and prominent families no longer dared to confine their prodigies. What use was increased cultivation if their spirit and awareness did not grow? Eventually, they would end up deceived like the Buddha’s son, with a miserable and tragic end.
"Not bad, your cultivation hasn’t increased, but your attacks are clearly sharper," Jin Quan praised with a smile after testing Ye Sheng with a couple of moves.
Ye Sheng’s face lit up with a bright smile. Although he had experienced many sordid things in the Small Secret Realm and learned many lessons, changing his approach and way of attack, his innate nature remained unchanged—still as bright, cheerful, and kind as ever. Blinking his big eyes, he smiled at Jin Quan: "Thank you for the praise, Senior Brother."
Jin Quan didn’t want to boost his morale too much, immediately following up with some instruction: "I know the sword moves of Master Ye Qiu are powerful, but remember, you are now an Artifact Refiner. What’s our main method of attack as Artifact Refiners? It’s our weapons and our connections. What do you think I gave you those Spiritual Artifacts for? It’s for you not to be at a disadvantage. Also, don’t be shy about using our weapons to fight. Those Pill Refiners, on the one hand, fight while popping pills, and those talisman cultivators with their storage bags full of talismans, not to mention those Array Repairers who just know how to use Arrays to trap people. So don’t hold back, throw the Spiritual Artifacts when you need to during a fight."
Ye Sheng listened seriously to the admonitions of his senior brother, feeling that what his senior brother said was quite right. In the Cultivation World, fairness was never a priority. He had truly experienced this in the Small Secret Realm. As for why he didn’t throw his weapon during the fight, it was purely a matter of habit. After all, he had been a Sword Cultivator before and was used to swinging a sword during exchanges.
"However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Junior brother, although you have switched to our Artifact Refining path, your talent as a Sword Cultivator is still present and not inferior to anyone else’s. As long as you keep your focus clear and continue to practice the Sword Dao, it will also serve as a means to save your life," Jin Quan continued.
"Yes, I understand, senior brother. I know what matters most. Since I have chosen the path of Artifact Refining, I will not be inconsistent in my efforts, nor will I neglect any part of it," Ye Sheng earnestly assured Jin Quan.
"Good to know. I came here to tell you something. I am about to start a retreat to break through to the Golden Core Stage, and after I begin my retreat, you should directly go to our Master. Here are some insights into Artifact Refining that may serve as references for you, but they must not be copied outright. Even though it’s the same path, everyone has their unique journey and ultimately needs to find their own way," Jin Quan said.
Ye Sheng earnestly accepted it, then congratulated Jin Quan: "Then I wish you fulfill your goal, senior brother. And I still wish to ask for a cup of Jiedan Wine from you!"
Jin Quan laughed heartily and ruffled Ye Sheng’s head vigorously: "You will definitely get to drink that cup of wine."
After Jin Quan entered his retreat, Ye Sheng felt a bit reluctant since he had been guided by his senior brother ever since he joined the Artifact Refining Peak five months ago and had already developed deep affection.
But Perfected Ming Shi wouldn’t allow him much time to indulge in sentimentality. Given that he had accepted a disciple with such high talent, he wouldn’t waste Ye Sheng’s talents and soon arranged a heap of tasks for him, sometimes even preventing Ye Sheng from having time to go to Hidden Sword Peak for sword practice.
However, the intense training had significant effects. After six months, Ye Sheng was already capable of independently forging basic Spiritual Artifacts.
Perfected Ming Shi pointed at the dark sword and mocked: "You’ve studied for a year and created just this thing? And you even said you wanted to forge a sword for your father. Even if your father is the Lonely Swallow Sword Lord, others would laugh him to death with this sword."
Perfected Ming Shi was usually smiling at everyone and sometimes even joked with his disciples, but when it came to Artifact Refining, he was no different from other masters, totally unconcerned about how much his disciples could endure, always ready to mock.
With a sense of shame, Ye Sheng lowered his head, looking at the dark long sword, feeling both embarrassed and self-reproachful. Indeed, his father had made so many sacrifices for him to pursue Artifact Refining, and even personally pleaded with the master, and after so long, this was all he could create. How could he be worthy of his father?
However, along with the shame came resilience and determination. If once was not enough, then twice, if twice was not enough, then three times... One day, he would forge a perfect sword for his father, ensuring he would never let his father down again.
"Think about this well and draw your conclusions," said Perfected Ming Shi, then strode out flicking his sleeve. However, as he turned his back to Ye Sheng, a smile appeared on his face. Worthy of a disciple he favored, able to forge a Spiritual Artifact in just one year; this talent even exceeded his own past achievements by several months!