Early the next morning, Ergouzi went straight to Huichun Hall.
Sure enough, Sima Yi handed over five porcelain bottles without a word. Inside were Peiyuan Gutben Pills — 49 in total.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
“It's nothing, don't ntion it.”
Sima Yi clearly didn’t take it too seriously.
“But you could definitely bring more of those Strength Pills.”
“If you’ve got any rare herbs that are hard to sell, I can help you find buyers.”
Ergouzi carefully wrapped the bottles and stuffed them into his robe, making his belly look like he was ten months pregnant.
“Sure, though I don’t have any rare herbs at the mont.”
“I do still have so Strength Pills. I’ll bring them next ti and trade for more Peiyuan Gutben Pills.”
After leaving Huichun Hall, he headed back to the weapon shop from before.
He could now wield a 100-jin sword. His old one was patched with iron pieces and looked like a fire poker.
This ti, he planned to forge a new heavy sword.
The sa chubby boy was still manning the shop.
“Hello, what kind of weapon would you like this ti?”
It was already Ergouzi’s third visit, and the mont he walked in, the chubby boy recognized him.
“I want a 120-jin heavy sword.”
“No problem. What material would you like?”
“Besides standard steel and iron, we also have sothing called ‘Refined Copper Essence.’ Just adding a bit of it will greatly enhance the weapon’s performance…”
The chubby boy started explaining all the materials they had.
“What’s Refined Copper Essence?”
The way the boy described it made Ergouzi curious.
“Refined Copper Essence is made using a special thod by Immortals. They refine 100 jin of copper until only 1 jin remains.
It’s infused with Immortal Qi from the hands of an Immortal. You tell — is it good or not?”
After hearing that, even Ergouzi felt tempted.
According to legends, Immortals had god-like powers — flying through the skies, vanishing into the earth, calling wind and rain, capable of anything.
It was said the county magistrate himself was a powerful Immortal.
Of all the people Ergouzi had ever t, only his master Li the Half-Immortal was rumored to be an Immortal.
He made a ntal note to ask Sima Yi later about which Immortals were in the county.
If this Refined Copper Essence really ca from the hands of Immortals, and wasn’t too expensive, he’d like to buy a little to soak up so Immortal Qi.
But after asking the price, he gave up.
One jin of Refined Copper Essence cost 200 taels of silver. He’d rather buy 20 more Peiyuan Gutben Pills.
In the end, he settled on forging an ordinary iron sword.
After all, his sword was big and heavy enough — even smashing with it could kill soone. Whether it was sharp or not didn’t seem to matter.
A basic iron sword, 120 jin in weight, cost 100 taels of silver and took half a day to forge.
With nothing else to do, Ergouzi stayed at the shop to watch them forge it.
The store was run by three generations: an old man held the red-hot iron with tongs, a middle-aged man pounded it with a heavy hamr, and the chubby boy, about Ergouzi’s age, pumped the bellows vigorously.
The old man occasionally gave guidance to the father and son. Watching the warm harmony of the family, Ergouzi felt a bit envious.
By midday, the 120-jin heavy sword was finished.
It was entirely black, three chi and six cun long, and three cun and two fen wide.
Ergouzi tested it — it was a little heavy, but once his strength improved more, it would be just right.
“Custor, are you satisfied with this sword?”
Seeing Ergouzi hold a 100-plus-jin sword as if it were nothing made the chubby boy secretly gasp in awe.
“Satisfied. Very good.”
Ergouzi paid the 100 taels and left the weapon shop with the sword.
He bought 10 large at buns at a bun shop, eating as he walked, heading toward Sanchazi Town.
He had successfully bought Peiyuan Gutben Pills and forged a new heavy sword today.
Now he just needed to take the pills, train regularly, and breaking through to the third layer of the cultivation thod wouldn’t be far off. That would finally let him master that insanely hard sword technique.
Then he could go take the Martial Xiucai exam.
The exam only had four parts.
First: basic literacy — not a high bar. As long as you weren’t totally illiterate, you’d pass.
Second: lifting a 500-jin stone and walking a lap around the exam field. Hard for others, but for him, no problem. He could probably try 1,000 jin.
The third test was martial skills — whether sword, spear, or halberd, you had to be good at one.
Ergouzi still hadn’t mastered his sword technique, and this was where he was stuck.
The fourth test was actual combat. A high-level examiner would spar with the candidates. If you could last ten moves, you’d get full marks.
As for the fourth test, Ergouzi wasn’t confident.
In terms of getting beaten up, he had a lot of experience — so might say, even unique insights.
For example, when getting hit, hugging your head, squatting, and curling your knees to protect your chest and stomach was the best way to endure.
But face-to-face combat...
Besides two encounters with that black figure — where it was life or death — he’d never fought anyone before.
Ergouzi carried his massive sword, wondering, does getting beat up count as real combat?
“Clang! Clang! Clang…”
Suddenly, a group of burly n charged out from both ends of the mountain path, blocking his way.
“This road was opened by , this tree was planted by …”
A man with a face like a pork kidney solemnly recited the line before slamming his butcher knife into a tree.
The poor, scarred tree suffered yet another wound it didn’t deserve.
Ergouzi didn’t run this ti. He stood there with his door-panel-sized sword, waiting for Boss Zhao to finish his speech.
“Kid, why didn’t you rush through the checkpoint today?”
“I want to test my sword on you.”
He’d just been thinking about how he’d never fought soone, and here Boss Zhao was, delivering himself. Perfect for so real combat practice.
Still, he scanned the surroundings and had already picked out his escape route.
Swords don’t have eyes. With so many guys, they might stab him full of holes. Better safe than sorry — he’d run if he had to.
“Well, well! Looks like you’re not scared!”
Boss Zhao felt his underworld status was being challenged. He yanked the butcher knife from the tree.
“No one else is allowed to interfere. I’m gonna fight him myself — three hundred rounds!”
The guy did have so skill. His butcher knife ca slicing fast and fierce, one strike nastier than the last.
Luckily, Ergouzi had been practicing his Naless Cultivation thod, which made his mind sharper and reflexes quicker. Otherwise, he’d already be full of holes.
He was clumsy at first, but gradually adapted to Boss Zhao’s rhythm.
Finally, he seized a chance and swung horizontally.
“Boom!”
Boss Zhao’s butcher knife shattered into pieces with a crisp clatter, and Ergouzi’s massive sword was already at his neck.
“This one doesn’t count. My knife broke.”
With all his n watching, Boss Zhao refused to lose face. Pride was more important than life.
“Get another knife and co back!”
Ergouzi was more than happy to keep fighting — he needed the practice.
Boss Zhao wrapped his bleeding hand and took a 7 or 8-jin thick-backed broadsword from one of his guys. He gripped it in both hands and charged.
“Clang! Clang! Clang…”
This ti, Ergouzi was in full control. He even held back a bit, but still, after only a few rounds, Boss Zhao’s blade was broken again.
Boss Zhao was now panting like an ox, arms trembling from exhaustion.
“Still wanna fight?”
“I’m hungry. Going ho for dinner. We’ll fight 300 rounds again tomorrow.”
He gave himself a way out and left with his crew.
Watching them leave, Ergouzi felt a bit disappointed.
He’d just started getting the hang of it, and now no one wanted to play.
All he could do was carry his sword and head back...
anwhile, back at the weapon shop — the mont Ergouzi left, they closed up early for the day.
The three generations gathered around a pile of silver, eyes blazing.
“Refined Silver Essence!”
“Yeah, definitely Refined Silver Essence!”
“So this is the legendary Refined Silver? Looks just like ordinary silver ingots!”
Another huge stroke of luck — the 100 taels of silver Ergouzi had paid with turned out to be Refined Silver Essence.
It was worth at least ten tis more than normal silver.
“Dad, Grandpa, he hasn’t gone far. Should we…”
The chubby boy was clearly tempted and already had robbery on his mind.
“Shut up!”
His grandfather cut him off imdiately.
“You know why our family’s been blacksmiths for eight generations? Because we stick to our place.”
“Those who buy swords and knives — how many of them are kind folks?”
“You think just because he doesn’t recognize Refined Silver, he’s easy to ss with? He might be the disciple of so hidden master.”
“Didn’t you see him carry a 100-jin sword like it was nothing?”
“I’m warning you — don’t even think about leaving this house today. Step outside and I’ll break your legs. Don’t bring disaster to the family.”
Chastised by his grandpa and dad, the chubby boy backed down.
But he was still young, naïve, and fearless — convinced he could take on the world.
In his mind, he had already marked this young custor for future attention.
“You’re not a kid anymore. Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you the art of weapon forging. Take this copy of The Compendium of Weapons and start studying.”
To calm the boy down, the old man dug out a leather-bound ancient book from under the counter and handed it over.
“This is a family heirloom. Take good care of it — don’t lose it.”
The boy took the book, flipped through a few pages, and stuffed it into his robe...
Ergouzi, of course, had no idea the copper coins and silver he used had caused such a stir.
Even more unexpected — the Refined Copper Essence he thought was too expensive to afford was actually the sa batch of copper coins he’d casually spent at the weapon shop earlier.
Good thing he was stingy — or he might’ve been scamd.
Not his fault — the coins and silver looked exactly the sa.
Only soone at the Qi Sensing level could feel the richer spiritual energy inside them.
He’d always used them like that, and no one had ever noticed.
Now back at Shekou Mountain, everything seed normal — no sign of intruders. He finally felt at ease.
The paths up the mountain were all blocked, but martial artists could still scale the cliffs.
He was already thinking — if he had ti, he’d chip away all the protruding rocks on the cliff face.
The flatter areas, he’d plant with thorns.
Let’s see who can climb up then.
But for now, cultivation ca first.
He stored the pills in his yellow gourd and waited three days before taking them.
After being enhanced by the gourd, the pills had much stronger spiritual energy.
Each pill, once refined, gave a strand of True Qi through the Ren and Du ridians — equal to ten days of regular training.
From then on, he took one pill a day and progressed quickly in his cultivation.
Sotis, he’d sneak down to the official road to fight Boss Zhao.
But Boss Zhao was a sore loser. After losing a dozen tis, he stopped showing up.
Ergouzi wandered the area for days, but Boss Zhao stayed hidden in the mountains.
It left Ergouzi pretty disappointed.
As for the sword technique his master taught him — still no major progress.
This martial art really was as profound as rumored — insanely difficult!
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