Chapter 27: Still Not Out

"What do you think of the Yanling rune?" Tang Jian sighed and asked Chen Guang.

Upon hearing this, Chen Guang's expression changed slightly. "Can you inscribe this rune?"

Tang Jian silently nodded without saying a word.

"Use this rune," Chen Guang leaned back, a noticeable smile appearing on his face as he nodded.

Yao Bin watched this scene with mixed feelings, unsure whether he was surprised, jealous, or ashamed.

Ignoring him, Tang Jian took a bronze short blade from Chen Guang's hand, sat cross-legged, placed the long sword across his knees, and began carefully inscribing.

He had inscribed this rune several times before, successfully only on a Sancai magical sword, and even then, he had used his unique fire. Therefore, he wasn't very confident at the moment.

But there was no other way now; he had to brace himself and proceed.

...

Outside the auxiliary hall, the sky had gradually darkened, and the main hall was illuminated with lights, shining brightly.

A "creak" sound was heard.

The door of the left auxiliary hall slowly opened, and Qiu Batian, dressed in a purple robe, walked out with a smile on his face, holding a light purple magical sword that was about three fingers wide and over three feet long.

Seeing this, everyone immediately stood up and looked at the sword in his hand.

The sword was covered with purple patterns, its fluorescence restrained. 

Below the sword guard, which was carved with a pattern of a mythical creature, was an intricate arc-shaped rune, looking quite extraordinary.

"The Sun Family Sword Shop's magical sword is ready. Please, Master Situ, have a look," Sun Yang said with a smile, snapping his paper fan shut and making a gesture of invitation.

"Master Qiu, your skills are truly proficient. You've finished forging so quickly," Situ Ran also said with a smile.

Upon seeing this, Yan Zi's expression remained unchanged, but her heart sank slightly.

Xiao Dingdang cursed silently in her heart. 

She had been praying for Qiu Batian's forging to fail, for him to suffer a backlash and, ideally, for him to be severely injured and unable to recover.

Yet, he had still succeeded.

Situ Ran took the light purple magical sword, first weighing it in his hand and then nodding satisfactorily.

Then, he gripped the hilt with one hand while wrapping his index and middle fingers of the other hand in a red glow, pinching the sword body and bending it downward.

The purple sword slightly trembled and then bent downward in an arc.

As he released his hand that was bending the sword, the sword body immediately emitted a clear and bright vibration, quickly returning to its original shape.

Situ Ran held the sword with one hand, and a glow appeared in his palm as he injected a strand of magical power into the sword.

The arc-shaped rune on the purple sword flashed first, and then the entire sword body lit up with a purple glow, emitting a frightening aura of ferocity.

"The main material used for casting the sword body should be high-grade iron essence, and the auxiliary materials added are somewhat special. The most important one should be purple mica, right?" Situ Ran withdrew his magical power and asked with a smile.

"As expected of Master Situ, you have a keen eye!" Upon hearing this, Qiu Batian was also slightly surprised and spoke up.

"It's not that I have a keen eye; it's just that my father once mentioned that purple mica has the ability to converge qi, helping the magical sword absorb various auras such as ferocity, blood, coldness, and heat, thereby enhancing its attack power. The aura of ferocity on this sword is so powerful. I suppose the quenching liquid used must be the blood of some fierce beast, right?" Situ Ran smiled and continued.

"Correct. This 'Purple Qi' sword uses the blood of the Fuyou Snake as the quenching liquid, so the blade still retains the snake's venom. Even cultivators, once their protective aura is pierced by this sword, will immediately be poisoned. If they cannot be saved in time, they will surely die," Qiu Batian said arrogantly and proudly.

"Without doubt, this sword has reached the level of a high-grade magical sword," Situ Ran nodded in appreciation upon hearing this.

After his conclusive remark, Sun Yang's face lit up with joy. He unfolded his fan and looked at Yan Zi with a meaningful gaze.

Yan Zi lightly pressed her lips together, and a trace of sadness flashed across her eyes.

Behind her, Xiao Dingdang's eyes turned red, and she stamped her feet in anger.

The melancholy of these two, master and servant, stood in stark contrast to the elation of the Sun family and others.

"What's the matter? Hasn't Master Chen come out yet? Oh dear, I heard he was still recovering from severe injuries. Could it be that his old wounds have relapsed, and he's already died inside?" At this point, Qiu Bahe exposed his arrogance, his gaze unabashedly scanning back and forth over Yan Zi.

"Hmph, good wine takes time to brew, and fine materials take time to grow... Just because you forge quickly doesn't mean you forge well. When Master Chen Guang comes out, he will surely surpass you," Xiao Dingdang stood in front of her mistress, snorted, and said.

However, while her words were firm, she wasn't very confident inside.

Could Master Chen Guang really forge a sword that surpassed Qiu Bahe's?

...

Time ticked away, and the sky outside had turned completely dark, yet the door of the right wing of the hall remained tightly shut.

Everyone in the hall had grown somewhat impatient.

"Miss Yan, what kind of sword is your shop's Master Chen forging? Why hasn't he come out yet?" Sun Yang's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he asked.

Yan Zi's eyes looked at her nose, her nose at her heart, pretending not to hear.

"Master Situ, isn't it inappropriate for the Yan family to act like this? If Chen Guang doesn't come out, are we just going to wait here forever?" Qiu Bahe shifted his gaze, looking at Situ Ran and saying slowly.

Upon hearing this, Situ Ran pondered for a moment before turning to Yan Zi and saying,

"Although the sword forging challenge doesn't specify a time limit, according to past practices, the time spent on forging a sword is also considered as a basis for evaluation. If Master Chen takes too long, I'll have to declare the Sun family the winner."

"Previously, Master Chen Guang was indeed unwell, which probably affected his sword forging and made him slower. Please forgive Master Situ and..." Yan Zi had to speak up upon hearing this.

However, before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

Everyone hurriedly turned their heads and looked towards the entrance of the right wing of the hall.

They saw Chen Guang, with a pale face, slowly walking out with Yao Bin's support.

He had put on his snowy white cloak again, but the front of his shirt was speckled with red, stained with blood.

"Master Chen..."

Upon seeing this, Yan Zi quickly rushed over to help support Chen Guang, and Xiao Dingdang immediately followed with a tense expression.

Together, they helped Chen Guang sit down on a large chair.

Seeing that Chen Guang and the other's hands were empty, Sun Yang's eyes brightened, and a noticeable smile appeared on his lips.

"Cough, Miss Yan, since Master Chen Guang was unwell, you should have informed me earlier. We could have postponed the competition. Why let Master Chen suffer such severe injuries?" He coughed twice, restrained his smile, and said.

Yan Zi didn't respond at all and only asked softly about Chen Guang's injuries.

"Miss Yan, it's not easy managing such a large family business, isn't it? That's why it's said that there should be a man in the house. When your father was alive, the Yan family didn't face so many difficulties." Sun Yang's eyebrows raised as he said.

Upon hearing him mention her father, Yan Zi's eyelid twitched noticeably, and her slender hand, which was placed in front of her, tightened into a fist. Due to excessive force, her knuckles turned slightly white.

However, she ultimately endured it and said nothing.

Seeing this, Sun Yang restrained himself a bit and stopped provoking Yan Zi. Instead, he changed the subject and continued,

"But now, since everything has been settled, we can consider ourselves as one family. Tomorrow, I'll send two Morning Dew Pills to heal Master Chen and discuss our marriage, how about that?"

"I think it's better to discuss canceling the debts owed by the Yan family..."

Just then, a loud voice sounded from inside the hall.

Everyone followed the sound and saw Tang Jian holding a crimson long sword in both hands, stepping over the threshold and walking out.