Chapter 155: Soft Sword Autumn Swan
Chapter 155: Soft Sword Autumn Swan
Lin Mu repeatedly stroked the blade. He could not believe what he felt. The material used to forge this soft sword was actually Mystic Heart Steel.
It was not that Mystic Heart Steel was particularly rare or hard to obtain. But in the Cultivation World, he clearly remembered only one place produced this kind of artifact refining material. He never expected to see Mystic Heart Steel on Earth.
Because Mystic Heart Steel was not a naturally occurring refining material. It was an artificial material created through refining. Various materials were already added and smelted during its production.
“You know this material?”
Hearing Lin Mu’s exclamation, Ou Xinghui quickly asked.
“Yes, I do recognize it.”
Lin Mu nodded, then curiously asked, “Mr. Ou, could you tell me how your ancestor obtained the forging material for this soft sword?”
“Of course. This was never a secret anyway. Many people in the past knew this material fell from the sky. In today’s terms, it’s not something from Earth.”
Ou Xinghui nodded as he spoke, his eyes showing a strange expression. Obviously, if this thing wasn’t from Earth, how could Lin Mu recognize it?
“I saw a description of this material in an ancient book. I wasn’t sure if it was the same one. I cried out in surprise without thinking. Please don’t mind me, Mr. Ou.”
Lin Mu gave a light laugh and collected himself, returning to his calm and detached demeanor.
Slowly standing up, he ran his fingers along the blade from tip to hilt. His right hand gave a slight shake. The originally soft, drooping blade suddenly became perfectly straight. The thin, cicada-wing-like blade showed a moist, glossy sheen like autumn water.
“Excellent sword!”
Feeling how Zhenqi passed through the blade without any obstruction, almost equivalent to the human body’s own Meridians, Lin Mu could not help but exclaim in admiration.
Although Mystic Heart Steel was itself a material used to imbue artifacts with spirituality and naturally didn’t repel a Cultivator’s Spiritual Power, refining Mystic Heart Steel’s capacity to such a degree that approximated human Meridians still demonstrated the uncanny craftsmanship of the Ou ancestor from back then.
“Mr. Lin, if you can leave the mark specified by my ancestor on this piece of wood, then this Autumn Swan is yours.”
Ou Xinghui, who had fetched a log at some point, stood it upright on the table. The wood was about the thickness of a thigh and roughly one meter long.
Lin Mu gave a light laugh. Without even looking at the wood, he made a gentle swing with his right hand. A cold gleam flashed momentarily. Ou Xinghui didn’t see how he made his move at all before Lin Mu had already withdrawn the soft sword.
At that moment, the wood looked completely unchanged from before.
“Sorry, it seems Mr. Lin has failed.”
Ou Xinghui showed no surprise. Too many people had failed; one more Lin Mu didn’t matter.
“Is that so? Mr. Ou, please take a closer look.”
Lin Mu shook his head with a smile and gently blew a puff of air onto the wood.
The entire log suddenly tilted. But it didn’t fall directly onto the table. Instead, it split evenly from top to bottom into sixty slices of identical thickness, stacked layer upon layer.
“This… this is truly incredible!”
Ou Xinghui was speechless for a long moment. After holding it in for a while, he finally managed to say this.
The time Lin Mu used just now wasn’t even a single breath—it was almost the blink of an eye. He had evenly cut the wood into sixty equal parts. What astonishing speed and control!
Since its creation, Autumn Swan had waited nearly a thousand years. After facing attempts from countless people, it had finally met its true master.
“I wonder if my little demonstration passed your ancestor’s test?”
Lin Mu asked with a slight smile.
“Of course, it fully meets—no, Mr. Lin’s swordsmanship has completely surpassed my ancestor’s requirements. This Autumn Swan now belongs to you, Mr. Lin.”
Ou Xinghui suddenly seemed a bit emotional.
“I have one more presumptuous request. I wonder if Mr. Ou could help?”
Lin Mu placed Autumn Swan back into the purple velvet box, looked up at Ou Xinghui, and spoke.
“Please go ahead, Mr. Lin.”
Ou Xinghui nodded.
“I want to make a scabbard, but not an ordinary one. I want something like a belt that can be worn around the waist. Does Mr. Ou have any way to make that?”
Lin Mu carefully described the scabbard’s appearance.
“This… although it’s a bit difficult, I can try.”
Ou Xinghui hesitated for a moment but finally nodded in agreement.
“Thank you so much. Here is my phone number. If the scabbard is ready, please notify me, Mr. Ou. As for the price, just name your figure.”
Lin Mu took a piece of paper and wrote down his number.
“No need for money. I’m happy that Autumn Swan has found its true master. Finally fulfilling my ancestor’s wish, not letting this peerless sword be buried—consider this scabbard my gift to you, Mr. Lin.”
Ou Xinghui waved his hand and smiled faintly.
After leaving Ou’s Pawnshop, Lin Mu was in a very good mood.
Ever since witnessing Apton’s bizarre joint-reversal Superpower in New York, he had been thinking about how to achieve what Apton did. But an ordinary person’s body structure couldn’t twist joints freely. After much thought, he eventually set his sights on the soft sword.
The soft sword and the soft whip were widely recognized as the two weapons requiring the most skill to use. In the hands of a master versus a novice, the power they could unleash was as different as clouds and mud.
If used properly, the soft sword and soft whip could attack from almost any angle. Compared to the soft whip, the soft sword had a sharp edge, making it easier to unleash great destructive power. Moreover, Lin Mu had once used a soft sword artifact before.
So when making his final choice, he still chose the soft sword.
But forging a soft sword required incredible craftsmanship. Ordinary blacksmiths couldn’t handle it. That’s why he had asked Lu Shouyang. After all, the Dragon Protection Corps was so well-informed; they might know some amazing swordsmith.
Although modern firearms were very advanced, these inherited crafts surely wouldn’t die out.
What he didn’t expect was that there actually existed such a ready-made, top-quality soft sword. The material used was even a refined material that could imbue spirituality—Mystic Heart Steel!
“Truly unexpected. It seems my luck this time was pretty good.”
Thinking about having acquired such a fine sword, the corners of Lin Mu’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly.
“Brother Lu, Autumn Swan has been given away.”
As soon as Lin Mu left, Ou Xinghui called Lu Shouyang.
“How was it? How’s his ability?”
Lu Shouyang asked with a chuckle.
“Too amazing! Where did you find such an impressive young man?”
Ou Xinghui looked at the sixty evenly sliced pieces of wood on the table. Even now, thinking about it felt unbelievable.
“Hehe, don’t ask about that. By the way, the person I introduced—you didn’t light the Heart-Corroding Incense, did you?”
Lu Shouyang gave a light laugh, then seemed to remember something and suddenly asked.
“Relax! How could I use Heart-Corroding Incense on someone you sent? Really, playing these games with me. Enough talk, I still need to make a scabbard for him!”
Ou Xinghui laughed and scolded, then hung up the phone.
Heart-Corroding Incense was their Ou family’s secret. Anyone who inhaled it would have their intestines rot within three days. Without the antidote, death was certain. It was thanks to this fearsome poison that they could maintain their place in the chaotic Martial World with their exquisite sword-forging skills.
Otherwise, with the Ou family having forged so many divine weapons, they would have been looted by Martial World figures long ago. They wouldn’t have lasted until today.
Lin Mu, who originally planned to go straight home, received a call from Song Yuru along the way. She was out shopping and had bought some things. Lin Mu asked for her location, turned the car around, and went directly to pick her up.
When he arrived, he understood why Song Yuru had called him. It turned out that Guo Songyun had somehow pestered her. Seeing the impatience on Song Yuru’s face, Lin Mu chuckled inwardly.
He drove to the roadside and got out of the car.
Guo Songyun was still bothering Song Yuru when he suddenly saw a Maybach pull up beside them. Surprised, he turned to look and happened to see Lin Mu getting out. His eyes widened immediately as he looked Lin Mu up and down, feeling an unbelievable sensation.
“Brother Guo, long time no see. What a coincidence today!”
Lin Mu greeted him with a smile.
“Brother Lin, what a coincidence indeed. Changed cars?”
Guo Songyun craned his neck to glance at the Maybach. The license plate A88888 made his pupils contract sharply. Without significant influence, forget the car itself, even getting this license plate would be impossible.
“Yes, I changed it recently. It was inconvenient always driving Yuru and her friends’ cars when going out. It’s better to have my own car, so I had someone buy one casually, just for transportation.”
Lin Mu smiled faintly and waved his left hand lightly.
“Haha, indeed. Having your own car is more convenient after all.”
The muscles on Guo Songyun’s face twitched slightly as he replied with a forced smile.
“A-Mu, let’s go back. Zixi and the others are still waiting at home.”
Seeing Lin Mu arrive, Song Yuru’s face immediately showed a hint of a smile. Watching this, Guo Songyun’s eye twitched again.
He had been standing there for quite a while, and Song Yuru’s face had remained stern the entire time, not giving him a single friendly look. Yet Lin Mu had just arrived, and she instantly became cheerful. The difference made him burn with anger inside.
But out of respect for Song Yuru, he couldn’t lose his temper directly. He could only stand to the side with a face shifting between dark and light, sulking alone.
“Well, if it isn’t Young Master Guo?”
Just then, a young man approached from the side. Dressed head to toe in brand names, he walked with a swagger, followed by two bodyguards who stared straight ahead, looking quite imposing.
Seeing that Guo Songyun didn’t respond, the young man’s eyes moved between the three of them. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he understood the situation.
He recognized Song Yuru. Guo Songyun had always wanted to pursue her but hadn’t succeeded. Now she was standing so close to another man, no wonder Guo Songyun’s face looked so unpleasant.