Chapter 39: Choosing a Sword

Led by the somewhat gloomy man, Rod was quickly taken to a nearby room. Inside, a variety of swords were neatly displayed—some long and some short, some thick and some thin, some wide and some narrow, all of different sizes. In terms of color, they ranged widely, with white and dark shades being the most common.
Facing such a diverse array of swords, Rod was momentarily at a loss, unsure which style to choose.
“Xuanyuan… are you there? Could you give me some advice?” Feeling confused, Rod suddenly remembered that within his body lay an unparalleled sacred sword—Xuanyuan. With the sword spirit here, what more did he need to worry about? As the foremost divine sword, it should surely help him select a fine blade. With this thought, Rod quickly sent out a request for help.
“I thought you had forgotten me already! Really, it took you so long to come to me!” Soon after, the complaining voice of Xuanyuan’s sword spirit came through. Indeed, Rod seemed to have neglected this crucial existence lately.
“Ahem… I’ve just been busy, hehe… Look, you can’t use your sword right now, and I don’t have any weapons either. This definitely won’t work. You’ve seen the battles we’ve had—so please help me choose one!” Hearing the sword spirit’s words, Rod’s face turned slightly red as he spoke awkwardly.
“Alright, alright, really! You only come when you need something!” As Rod explained, the sword spirit murmured complaints in its heart.
“To choose a sword, you first need to have a certain understanding of weapons! Swords are known as the ‘lords of all weapons.’ They are the ancestors of close combat weapons, designed for close fighting. With their profound techniques, they can be used for both offense and defense, offering endless possibilities and flexibility, thus becoming legendary. They are easy to carry, add grace when worn, and allow for swift use. A good sword can bring unexpected help to its wielder.
Swords are sharp, long weapons, and their size depends on human proportions—thus, they are tailored to individuals. Therefore, those choosing a sword must select one that best suits their own characteristics.
Of course, besides this, another crucial factor is to choose based on your combat style. Some people are suited for heavy swords because their sword techniques emphasize strength and power. Others prefer short swords because their techniques are characterized by agility, compactness, and versatility for close combat. Naturally, many also choose wide swords—everything depends on the individual and their combat style!”

There are also many differences in materials, though of course, these differences aren’t very noticeable; what matters most is the sword’s sharpness and durability. Well, that’s about it. Think for yourself about what kind of sword you should use! Remember, once you choose a sword, it becomes your closest comrade, your most trustworthy friend, someone you can confide in wholeheartedly. So choose carefully and take good care of it after making the choice! After spouting all this knowledge about swords in one go, the Sword Spirit turned the question back to Rod himself. Choosing a sword can’t be done with someone else’s help; it requires heart to make the decision, and the Sword Spirit understood this all too well. So all he could do was guide him, hoping the boy would realize it on his own. Hearing the Sword Spirit’s words, Rod fell into silence for a moment—there was so much wisdom in those words! Fortunately, it was still simple enough for him to understand. Sensing Rod’s silence, the Sword Spirit knew it was now his own business. So, with nothing else to do, he began to examine the weapons in the shop. Looking at the various weapons displayed in the room, he curled his lips slightly—among so many weapons, only a few could be considered decent, while the rest were merely passable. However, Xuan Yuan still appreciated the blacksmith’s sword-making methods and craftsmanship. He could sense the exquisite skills and complex processes behind those few good weapons, which gave him some respect for the shop. After all, who was it? It was the Sword Spirit of Xuan Yuan, the spirit of the Sacred Sword of Xuan Yuan, known as the King of Divine Weapons. Weapons that met his standards surely wouldn’t be poor. And it was even more remarkable that their sword-making skills were recognized. “Will you buy it or not? If not, just leave!” Seeing that the young man had remained silent since entering the room, seemingly lost in thought and unresponsive despite his calls, the man asked coldly. “Buy… buy? How could I not buy it! Hehe, I’ll take a look right away!” Rod, snapped back to reality, smiled awkwardly and hurriedly replied.

He immediately started exploring the small room. Thanks to the Sword Spirit’s explanation and his own understanding, he already knew that given his current situation, a light sword would be more suitable for him. After all, his swordsmanship emphasized speed and agility, so it was natural to choose a lighter sword to maximize his speed. As for the length of the sword, combined with his swordsmanship style and height, he had a general idea in mind.

After circling the entire room, Rod selected ten long swords of similar length and design as potential candidates.

Looking at the remaining weapons he had chosen, Rod was once again faced with a dilemma—how to pick one? It once again became a major challenge.

“Focus! Yes, that’s it, focus!” Remembering the words the Sword Spirit had told him last time, Rod carefully examined these long swords, touching them thoughtfully, trying to sense them, and even attempting to establish a connection with them by releasing his mental energy and merging it with the swords.

After some experimentation and exploration, Rod sensed the elements around him—the lightness and liveliness of those elements, as well as the abundance of fire elements in the shop. He could feel himself immersed in these elements, which seemed to envelop the swords tightly, and he could even detect the faint presence of hidden elements within them. Yet, he still couldn’t identify the sword that was most suitable for him.

“Use the elements as a medium for communication—hurry!” Sensing Rod’s predicament, the Sword Spirit hurriedly added. Such a situation wasn’t something everyone could achieve; even those who tried might not succeed.

Rod was able to engage in such gentle communication with the elements only because he had accidentally reached a state of unity with them and signed an elemental contract last time. It was likely that even those considered closest to the elements—magicians—couldn’t reach this level.

Hearing the Sword Spirit’s words, Rod didn’t dare be careless. He quickly guided the elements to act as a medium, helping him sense the texture of the swords and identify the one that was most suitable for him.

“Hm?” Just as Rod did this, the old man who had been hammering metal outside, producing a clear ringing sound, suddenly stopped what he was doing and turned his gaze this way. His eyes lit up, as if he had discovered something. The man standing beside Rod also changed his expression dramatically, looking at the young man in front of him with a look of disbelief. The cold expression from before vanished instantly, replaced by a serious and solemn one.

“What’s going on!” Suddenly, Rod felt an unusual sensation coming from the wall beside him inside the shop—a strange feeling that seemed to extend toward him, as if something was calling to him, drawing his mental energy.

No, none of the ten long swords he had chosen earlier seemed to be in that area! Frowning, Rod was deeply puzzled.

Suddenly, a cool yet warm breeze came from that direction, seemingly trying to merge with his body, along with a strong smell of blood! It rushed into his body at lightning speed. In an instant, he felt darkness all around, with countless screams seeming to ring in his ears—so pitiful and sorrowful. Rod felt as if he had arrived in a hellish realm, filled with blood, wails, and darkness.

“Ah…” A loud scream made Rod snap his eyes open, gasping for breath!

At this moment, his face was pale, and sweat covered his forehead—unknown when it had appeared. He took deep breaths of fresh air.

“Kid, it’s that sword. Yes, that’s the one you felt. Take it!”

An urgent call from the sword spirit echoed in his mind, tinged with seriousness. Indeed, just now, the sword spirit had also sensed what Rod had felt. That information, which even he hadn’t paid attention to, was so intense that it piqued the sword spirit’s curiosity.

“Are you okay?” A hand was placed on his shoulder, followed by a greeting in an aged voice, yet gentle in tone.

Turning around, Rod realized that the old man had somehow come to his side. He was standing with the young man, looking at him with concern.

“I’m… fine!” Exhaling deeply and wiping the sweat from his forehead, Rod said, still shaken.

Looking in the direction where he had sensed the presence earlier, he saw on that wall, right at that spot, a completely black sword about three feet long. Its somewhat worn appearance made it hard to notice; surely, if not for the sensation he had experienced earlier, he wouldn’t have paid attention to it. Such a sword would likely go unnoticed easily.

Slowly walking over, Rod got a closer look and saw that the blade was shaped like willow leaves, about two and a half feet long, with double edges and two grooves in the middle. The hilt, however, resembled the upper body of a long dragon—its head with an open mouth and fierce eyes stood atop the hilt, while the body of the dragon extended from the grip area, its exquisite scales fully visible. Below the hilt, where it connected to the blade, the guard was integrated with the dragon’s head, with the dragon’s two claws extending downward, their pads perfectly smooth and round! The total length of the sword, including the hilt, was about three feet two inches.

Studying the sword closely, he noticed that although it hung quietly on the wall now, it no longer carried the same aura as before. Recalling his earlier sensations, he found them quite strange.

As Rod was examining the sword in detail, behind him, the old man and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance. Their expressions were complex and solemn. After nodding at each other, they seemed to have made some decision and watched Rod nervously.