Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 943: The Pale Demon

Master Zhan Tie picked up a large set of heavy iron tongs. He plunged them into the roaring forge and pulled out a glowing ingot of steel. He rested it upon the black anvil."Form, purpose and resonance," Tie said. His voice easily carried over the deafening crackle of the flames. "Those are the foundational pillars of the craft. Understand those three things and you will be able to judge any weapon. It will not happen overnight, you need to develop an eye for such things."

Tie picked up his massive hammer. He struck the ingot and sent a shower of brilliant orange sparks raining down upon the stone floor.

"There is a final element," Tie continued. He settled into a rhythmic cadence with his hammer. "The true soul of the weapon and what really sets it apart. You must understand the weapon spirit. All truly powerful and great weapons possess a weapon spirit upon their creation or more commonly they will form one over time through battle and bloodshed."

Li Yu leaned forward with his interest instantly piqued. "Weapon spirits?"

"Yes," Tie nodded. He brought the hammer down with a deafening clang. "Take the Ten Great Swords of the Li Clan for example. Every single one of those legendary blades possesses a fully formed and highly intelligent weapon spirit sleeping within the steel."

Li Yu was genuinely surprised by this revelation. He stood there for a moment to process the information. He possessed two of those exact swords yet he had never encountered or felt the presence of a weapon spirit in either of them.

"How does one contact a weapon spirit?" Li Yu asked. "Do you have to pour a specific type of Qi into the blade?"

Tie paused his hammering and rested the massive tool against the anvil. He wiped a streak of soot from his forehead.

"It is not about Qi," Tie explained. "It is usually about worthiness. A weapon spirit will reveal itself and connect with a wielder when it believes that person is worthy of its legacy, its use. A supreme swordmaster with incredible sword intent would most likely connect with a sword spirit instantly. The spirit recognizes the intent and submits to it."

Tie pointed his tongs toward Li Yu.

"But you do not necessarily need sword intent either." Tie added. "Spirits are fickle and highly individualistic. A spirit could just believe that you are worthy of it for other reasons. Perhaps it likes your personality or it respects your physical strength. There are a number of different reasons a spirit might choose to bond."

"And if they don't choose to bond?" Li Yu asked.

"Then the weapon remains dormant," Tie shrugged. "Some spirits actively reject the wielder altogether. The weapon becomes much weaker if a spirit refuses to harmonize with you. It will still be a sharp piece of metal but you will not be able to draw out its true potential.”

“For example if a flying sword had a spirit, it could help the person using it in battle. Instead of full control, the user can let the spirit control the sword on his behalf, lessening the strain on the cultivator in battle. It can also go to defend its master as well and with a spirit active, the weapon will become overall stronger as well." Tie went on to say.

Tie picked his hammer back up. "However, there is one other way to force a connection. Someone possessing a very powerful soul is far more likely to be able to bypass the weapon's physical defenses as well. They can form a connection with the spirit directly regardless of their orthodox intent."

Li Yu nodded slowly and took in the wisdom.

It made sense what Mastercraftsman Tie was saying. He still hadn't seen the two spirits from the Li Clan swords because he possessed zero orthodox sword intent.

‘The two swords are likely completely ignoring me because I don’t fit their criteria and I can’t blame them.’ Li Yu thought. It must be strange for two supreme sword spirits to all of a sudden be owned by a young man. ‘I wonder why my father and his teacher gave me these two swords then? Are they not as great as people are claiming?’

There was one weapon spirit he was acutely aware of though. The spirit locked within the bone sword had not ignored him. The horrific spirit had immediately launched an invasion into his mind the moment his grandfather handed him the cursed artifact. It attempted to rot his soul and claim his body as a vessel.

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His Fisherman soul had instantly and violently subdued it upon contact. Master Tie continued with his lecture and went on about how to tell different grades of weapons. However, it would take time and experience for Li Yu to be able to really be good at it.

"Thank you, Master Tie," Li Yu said with a deep and respectful bow. "Your teachings today have been incredibly enlightening. I will not bother you anymore while you work."

"You are no bother, boy," Tie grinned back at him. His teeth flashed white against his soot stained face. "The forge is always open to you."

"I would like to come back for more lessons in the future if that is alright with you," Li Yu asked. "I want to learn more if possible or to ask you questions."

"I would welcome it," Tie laughed heartily. "I'll keep an extra apron clean for you. We will see if those bones of yours can handle the heat of the anvil next time. I don’t teach for free, you will have to earn your keep."

Li Yu thanked the master smith once more and left the open air forge. He walked back down the mountain while his mind raced with the new information. Li Yu bypassed the markets and headed directly back to the serene quiet of his courtyard.

The sun was just beginning to set and it cast long shadows across the bamboo grove. Li Yu sat down at the heavy stone table and closed his eyes. He opened the connection to his Koi Sanctuary. He reached out with his divine sense and probed the golden aura of Gilded Calamity. He poured his thoughts into the blade and politely asked to speak with the spirit within.

There was no response. The sword remained a cold and heavy piece of gold. He shifted his focus to the dark green blade of Firmament's End. He tried to project a sense of respect and inquiry into the steel.

Silence. The blade did not even vibrate.

Li Yu sighed and opened his eyes but he wasn't entirely surprised. His sword skills were simply not great enough just as Master Tie had explained. He had no sword intent to offer them and they clearly did not respect his raw Qi enough to bridge the gap.

Li Yu would have to figure out a way to earn their respect later. If he couldn’t, using them as a sharp and durable sword wouldn’t be a bad idea either but a bit of wasted potential. He could also just rely on his overwhelming soul strength to force the issue when he was stronger but he didn’t quite understand how long that would take.

He did not need to earn respect from one spirit though. He had already broken it. Li Yu tapped his chest.

A suffocating aura of malevolent evil and slaughter flooded the immediate area. Pale Extinction drifted out of the void. Li Yu did not physically grab the hilt. He closed his eyes instead and sent a massive pulse of his soul power directly into the center of the sword.

‘Wake up.’ Li Yu commanded it for the first time since acquiring this sword.

His consciousness was pulled into the internal space of the weapon. Li Yu found himself standing within the soul space of the weapon itself. He hovered above the ground and the sky above was not clear. It was stained a violent and horrific red.

The spirit of the bone sword manifested before him.

It was a towering demon of blood and bone like before but its color was a bit lighter now. Its body was composed of fused ribs and jagged spines wrapped in thick cords of rotting muscle. It raised its spectral claws and let out a bloodcurdling scream that vibrated through the spiritual waters below. Li Yu casually walked across the water with his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped directly over the demon.

"Do you acknowledge me as your master?" Li Yu asked calmly.

The demon looked up at the young man with glowing red eyes that were wide with hatred.

"Of course I do!" The demon spat. Its voice sounded like grinding bone and tearing flesh. "I was defeated so easily upon entering this space before. What kind of freak are you? How are you so young yet possessing such monstrous soul strength?"

Li Yu merely smiled at the entity. "Since we will be working together in the future we should probably start becoming friends."

The demon let out a harsh laugh that sounded more like a cough of blood.

"Friends?" The demon hissed. "Your grandfather killed my master. That master was technically myself since I am the natal weapon forged from his very spine, body and soul. I can never be friends with a child of Zhan Tian."

"Never is a very long time." Li Yu replied back. He expected nothing less from the spirit of a sword that his parents were afraid of him to own at first. He was completely unfazed by the dramatic declaration. "You are bound to me now. My path is long and we will face many enemies together. You will help me on my path."

The demon ground its jagged teeth together. It knew it had already lost but that didn’t mean it didn’t have its own pride or thoughts.

"I will listen to your commands." The demon finally relented with bitter resignation. "I will help you in battle. I will lend you my aura of slaughter and rot the flesh of your enemies but I will offer nothing else. And never think of me as a friend."

"That is fine for now," Li Yu said as his smile never wavered.

Li Yu opened his eyes and he was back in his private courtyard.

Pale Extinction hovered peacefully in the air before him. The aura it had been projecting was now more controlled. It was drawn tight against the blade like a well trained hound waiting for a command.

He stored Pale Extinction back into his Koi Sanctuary. He finally had a weapon spirit that was relatively under his control, he would deal with the silent pride of the Li Clan swords later.